From the Depths of My Heart
by esperanzab93
Summary: Updated Summary: Willy Wonka is angry at the treatment of an orphan girl on the streets, so he takes her to the factory, only to discover that she is not who she seems to be and some serious trouble with an old nemesis will be the result. *This is not exactly a romance, but has a bit of "affection". I only own the character of Emily Washington. Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka
1. Chapter 1 An Act Of Violence

This is my first FanFiction work, so please review! I will try to not leave anyone hanging! this is not a love story, but a fatherly Willy Wonka like I feel he really was. fatherly, yet with a feeling of intrigue-like you can't really figure him out. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 1: An Act of Violence

It wasn't as if she had any other place to go. The cold night seemed to have swallowed her like a cat swallowing a mouse and leaving no trace. Willy Wonka walked quickly through the park toward his towering chocaolate factory, the only logical direction that she could have headed. He had first seen the girl with the straight blonde hair wearing the grey dress in the newspapr that told of her parents death, and the fact that she was an orphan. He had caught glimpses of Ellie Washington in the days that passed, but had never been close enough to talk to her. She was a pale faced runaway, living off the streets, avoiding anyone that wanted to send her to 'an orphanage'. The last place that he had expected to see her was in the back of that red truck that had sped away from the park. And before his eyes, she had been thrown from it by two evilly laughing teen boys. She had quickly scrambled to her feet and darted away. Filled with disgust at the boy's actions, he had followed her in the hopes of finding out if she was okay. But she had disappeared now. Willy paused and pounded the end of his cane into the cobblestones as he thought to himself. The evening was way too cold for anyone to be out in. He pulled his trench coat closer and frowned. The ground that he was pounding had something wet and dark on it. He knelt down and frowned again. It struck him as strange that he was so interested in this reclusive girl. He was somewhat of a recluse as well and didn't interact with people that much. Except the Buckett family. But this blood on the street stones sent both a chill of pity for the girl and a sharp pang of fear through his kind heart- fear that she would be seriously injured . If there was one thing he hated, it was suffering. He was especially kind to the oompa-loompa's that cared for his factory. And it positively made his blood boil that she had been thrown from the truck. He set off walking, shivering in horror that he was using a blood trail to track this girl. A few feet away, he could see a dark shape in the snow. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was her and that there was a lot more blood here. He knelt beside her as she opened her eyes and in a split senond he saw that she was killing scared. "Go Away!" she gasped, slinging one arm at Willy as if to knock him away. "Git away from me, you rats!"

Willy Wonka frowned sadly as he watched her from a safe distance. With a soft groan her arm dropped to her side and she tried to sit up, but couldn't. Soft sobs escaped her lips, and Willy Wonka inched closer, speaking softly.

"Miss, take it easy. I'm a friend. I want to help you."

A soft moan escaped her lips and she growled softly,"That's what you said. That's what everyone says. But I don't want it. I don't want it!" She fell back, exhausted from her tirade, seeming to not know that Willy Wonka was still standing there.

Willy frowned a moment, then spoke, still keeping his voice soft and gentle. "I am not one of those people. I saw what happned to you and I want to help you."

Whn the girl didn't speak or move, he crept a little closer, poised to jump back quickly in case she decided to move again. But she didn't. He was now close enough to get a good look at her. Her face was a strange gray color, and blood was trickling rapidly from her arm. A furthur careful inspection revealed it was broken, and bone could be seen in the break. She must have fainted. Inhaling then exhaling slowly to calm his racing thoughts, Willy Wonka thought quickly to himself. He knew what dangers lay in a compound fracture from his days of reading medical books and he also knew that this girl needed trauma help. Something in his heart wanted to be the one to be there. "You are getting selfish in you old age, Wonka," he told himself, a smirk spreading part way across his pale face. He tugged his white handkerchief out of the pocket of his burgundy tail coat and carefully applied a tourniquet to the affected limb. It was no trouble to tuck his gold topped cane under one arm and gather the stricken girl into his arms. It wasn't going to be easy to get her to let him help, but as he carefully made his way toward the grat factory gates, he knew that he was going to do his best. Why did he feel such a connection to this girl? Why was he taking it upon himself to care for her needs? Especially since he disliked strangers and avoided meeting people on his sporatic walks beyond the factory? Why was he sticking his nose into a situation that he really had nothing to do with? Why did he suddenly feel like ha had bitten of a huge mouthful of Caramel delight and couldn't get it to go down? All he could be sure of was that life was just about to get really interesting.


	2. Chapter 2 Terror in the Wonkavator

**Sorry these are so short. I'm writing them kind of sporatically. My best friend who is overdue for her first baby just had a dryer fire last night, and everything's a little hectic!**

Chapter 2 Terror in the Wonkavator

His steps were careful as Willy slowly made his way across the vast yard that surrounded the factory. The scent of chocolate floated gently on the frosty air. He smiled a little as he retrieved his side door key from a deep pocket and pushed it into the lock. The warmth beyond flowed out over them, and he looked down to see if his burden had awakened. She hadn't, but the sight of the blood dripping all over the hallway reminded him of the urgency of the situation. He scurried down the hall to the Wonkavator and closed the door behind him. With the push of a button, he sagged to the floor. "I'm going to have to get a small crew of Oompa-Loompas to clean this floor", he sighed as he tightened the tourniquet. This motion, however gentle, produced affects that he wasn't going to forget very easily. One minute Ellie lay in his arms as though dead, and the next moment, she went balistic. An unearthly shriek escaped her lips, and she lunged away from him, striking her head on the Wonkavator door. Stunned, at first Willy Wonka couldn't move. This was really bad. This girl really thought she was still a prisoner and was trying to defend herself from enemies that were no longer there. But Willy gulped as he realized that HE _was_ there, stuck inside the rapidly traveling machine with a trauma crazed girl that might realize that he was beside her. The only thing he could think to do was stop her somehow. But how? He stood gazing at her thoughtfully, willing the Wonkavator to reach it's destination. There was only one way to stop her before she hurt herself even more. As the Wonkavator whined to a sudden halt, it threw the girl against the opposite wall, and she gasped and grabbed her arm. In this moment of distraction, Willy motioned to an oomph loompa that stood outside to door. He stepped closer and gazed sharply at the girl. Willy leaned toward him and spoke barely above a whisper.

"Get me the brown bottle in the medical cabinet."

Solemnly, the little man ran off. The chocolatier leaned weakly against the wall and closed his eyes. This was going to be tougher than he thought. Maybe after a good rest the girl might be in a more co-operative mind. If she wasn't-well, he wouldn't think about that. It seemed as he gazed down at her as she reminded him of someone. Who she reminded him of he couldn't quite remember. But somehow the memory wsn't very happy, amd it left him confused. He hadn't even met this girl before, so how could there be a memory, however unpleasant, in connection with her? Willy rubbed the side of his face with one hand and sighed. Why was he always getting himself in pickles?

At this moment, that had felt like an hour, but was really two minutes, the oompa loompa came rushing back, an amber glass bottle in his small hand. Willy allowed a quick smile to flash at the lttle man in thanks and turned to the girl. She was gazing at the oompa loopa, an incredulous exression on her face. Her mouth was open and her eyes were wide. Willy could tell that she had just been shocked out of the daze she had been in, and he hoped he wouldn't have to use the medecine in the bottle. It was chlorophorm, the only medecine in the factory that he hadn't invented. It's use was rare, as he only took it out when an oompa loompa had an accident with a machine or something. Now as he gazed down at the girl, he attempted to try talking again. But before he could speak, she spoke first.

"Where am I? And what have you done to me?"

Willy knelt to be on her level, and froze when she pulled her knees up to her chin in fear, and pressed herself into the wall of the Wonkavator.

"Do not be afraid," he spoke reassuringly, keeping his voice soft. "No one is going to hurt you here."

A look of disbelif crossed her face, and she whispered,"Then why did you throw me back out of the truck? You said you wanted to protect me from Father. Why did you turn on me like that?"

Willy Wonka frowned. She still believed that he was one of the hoodlums in the truck. A chill ran down his spine. Protect her from Father? What did that mean? Weren't her parents supposed to be dead?

He wanted to know more, but the color of her face reminded him that she was seriously hurt. He took a step closer toward her, and she tried to press herself furthur into the wall. He fished in his pocket for a clean handkerchief. This wasn't going to be easy. At just that moment, however, Ellie saved him the trouble. She fainted.


	3. Chapter 3 A Face From the Past

**_Here it is! The next chapter. And boy is there some excitement in store! Sorry for the delay, my internet has been acting weird. Thanks for all you viewers, and those especially in other countries. Please review and let me know how I am doing! _**

Chapter 3 A Face From the Past

Willy seized his chance and thrust the bottle back into the staring oompa loompa's hands. "Quick," he exclaimed. "Make haste and prepare the medical complex. We must work quickly to get her there before she wakes up again!"

The oompa loompa didn't move for a moment. At Willy's impatient "NOW" he crossed his arms over his chest, bowed quickly, and darted away, throwing curious glances over his shoulder. Willy frowned and shook his head. Sometimes he regretted not knowing oompa loompa language. Sometimes he just could not understand the actions of these strange little helpers. Shaking his head again, the chocolatier gathered the still form into his arms and stepped from the elevator. A long brightly colored hall met him and he ran through it, not stopping to look into any of the rooms that lined it, even though beyond those doors, some of Willy Wonka's grandest inventions were churning, bubbling, and hissing themselves into various forms of candy. His hands and mind would be busy for the next hour, trying to right a wrong that he didn't commit. And those Oompa Loompas! The minute that he carried Emily Washington into the medical complex, anyone would have thought that he had just introduced royalty. Though they couldn't converse with Wonka in english, he could tell that they were trying to get across to him that Emily's presence made them very pleased. Why then did Willy feel so strange? As he looked at her, the overwhelming feeling that he had seen her somewhere before ran through his mind again, and he didn't like it. Not one bit. Willy Wonka shook his head again. This was going to be a very interesting evening.

Emily slowly opened her eyes. The room she found herself in was dark. She shivered. It was warm in the room beyond the darkness that seemed to veil her eyes. A soft fresh scent danced on the air, tantalizing her with it's fragrance. "Roses?" Emily whispered. "Or is it honeysuckle?"

A voice right at her elbow said, "Very close, my child. You are most intelligent. It's honey."

The girl gasped and froze. "Who are you?" From Willy's point of view, she seemed to pull herself into herself like a turtle in fear.

A gentle hand brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead. The touch was cool on her skin damp with perspiration. A second later, a soft cloth was gently brushing the dampness away and the voice spoke soothingly.

"Do not be afraid, dear child. I will not harm you. I only wish to get you well again."

"W-what's wrong with me?" She stammered, trying to see into the darkness.

Wily Wonka looked down at her, a small smile playing about the corners of his lips. "You, my dear, have a severely broken arm, several broken ribs, two twisted ankles, and a fever. I wouldn't recommend that you move right now. Just relax and focus on getting well. I will prove to you that you have no reason to fear, if you promise that you will remain where you are."

Emily shuddered as a familiar memory nudged it's way into her mind...

A windowless room, ruthless captor willing to bargain until she refused his plan, pain inflicted as a means of forcing her into submission...

The gentle hand was resting on her shoulder again. "You are afraid?" The soothing voice was laced with curiosity, and kindness. If Emily could have seen Willy wonka, she would have known that it was great concern that was written all over his face. He had noted the fear that had crossed her pale features. Instead of continuing what he was going to say, he reached over toward her face. There was a lingering scent of chocolate and sugar about him, and it was that scent that triggered something in her brain. In one motion, Emily was off the bed, pressed back into the wall, and sobbing as if her heart would break.

"I wont do it!" she screamed at him. "I wont do it in a million years! And no matter what you do to me, I will never assist you in ruining Willy-Wonka's-" She didn't finish the sentence for at that moment, Emily Washington saw for the first time all the Oompa Loompas that stood watching her, and in their midst, a very confused Willy Wonka.


	4. Chapter 4 The Beginning of a Problem

**Oh dear! I said it was not going to be a romance. But a little **_affection_** can't hurt...Lucky you all! You get two chapters today, only because everyone else went to bed early and I can write in peace! And the internet is cooperating! And how did you all like the entrance of Slugworth? Post your reviews and let me know. I rely on you all to grade me! Any suggestions? I would love to hear them!**

Chapter 4 The Beginning of a Problem

For a moment there were no other sounds in the room other than Emily's raspy sobs, and a soft whimper as she clasped her thin hands over her face. After listening to the painful sounds for a moment, Willy Wonka tucked his gold-topped cane under his elbow and slowly walked over to where the girl now cowered. He stood above her for a moment looking down, unsure of how she would react, then bent over and gathered Emily into his arms. Ignoring the feeble wails of protest, he carefully returned her to the bed. After she was on it, he leaned over her, placing both hands on her shoulders. By now, she was gasping from the sharp stabbing in her ankles and ribs caused by her violent leap off of the bed, and the subsequent trial of returning her to its safety. Willy removed one hand from its hold in order to take off his tophat, to seem less threatening, and gazed down into the violet eyes now swimming in tears of pain.

"See now why I asked you not to move?" He asked in a gentle voice. Emily nodded, the tears spilling over and making wet tracks down her cheeks. Willy smiled sympatheticly and looked up as an oompa loompa appeared by the bed holding out a white handkerchief. With a nod, Willy Wonka took it and, leaning forward, he tenderly wiped the moisture away, and brushed back her hair. The forehead was still damp and hot. Willy Wonka looked down at the girl and smiled again. "Please, dear child, do not move again. I assure you I will not hurt you and none of us are about to let anyone else hurt you either."

At these assuring words, Emily nodded, taking a deep breath from the sharp stabbing pains from her shattered limbs. But the fear in her eyes didn't change.

"You are not convinced." The words came out as a statement, not as a question.

Emily nodded slightly, but her eyes were still scared. Those violet eyes. They facinated Willy Wonka, partially because they were so rare, and partially because they had a particular way of glistening that was giving Willy Wonka an idea for a new rock candy. But he had no time for that now.

"Why are you still afraid, Emily?"

At the sound of her name, an expression of utter terror flitted across Emily's face. She tried to rise again, but Willy's firm gloved hands held her back.

"Now, now, let's not repeat that scene, shall we? Whatever is the matter, starshine?"

At those words, Emily began to cry. But the pain of her shattered ribs made her breath catch in her throat and she gasped out, "Crying hurts."

Willy brought his hands slowly up the sides of her neck until they rested on each side of her head. He brushed the tears away with his thumbs and said softly, "Then don't do it."

For a moment, Emily gazed up at him, into his blue eyes that sparkled at her. Tender eyes, as her mother would have said. The hands holding her were gentle, too. It was far more than she had been used to. The only hands she had known since her parent's death had been harsh and cruel. Maybe the strange reclusive chocolatier would understand her fears. As she gazed up at him, and he gazed down at her, it seemed to Emily that maybe she had found a friend. But the man from Dartsmouth had proposed to be a friend, too, promising to save her from her true father that was out there somewhere, and then had locked her up in his damp and cold basement, and had treated her shamefully when she had refused to go along with his plans. Plans to -

"What are you thinking about, starshine?" Willy asked suddenly, drawing her from her reverie. His head was on one side and his eyes bored into hers as he had notice the faraway look come over her. A faraway look combined with a slight tremor that ran through the thin frame.

"Can you read my mind?" Emily asked, misinterpreting the question and the intense gaze.

"No," The wiry chocolatier said softly. "But I was just wondering why you just shivered, as if you were remembering something you would like to forget?"

Another tear escaped her eyes, and it was quickly wiped away by Willy, but his eyes never left her face, as he searched for an answer to his question.

"I'm cold," she replied, hoping that answer would satisfy the intense stare in Willy Wonka's eyes.

He responded by snapping his fingers three times and at once a blanket was brought by a handy oompa loompa. Nodding his thanks, Willy stood and carefully shook out the blanket and gently laid it across her lower body, but did not tuck it in. He knew that fevers sometimes make one feel as if they were freezing, but in reality they are burning up. He was grateful for the medical books that he had read through the years. He didn't believe that Emily had shivered only from cold. There was something else.

"A little bit ago, you were mentioning someone had promised to protect you, Emily?" Willy lightly prodded, remembering the scene in the Wonkavator.

"He said he was a friend,too" she said softly. Somehow, as she looked back up at Willy Wonka, Emily could feel that she was slipping away. The room was getting smaller, and the air warmer. Willy Wonka before her began to fade. She felt him lean down closer, kind hands feeling her forehead, so close that she could feel his warm breath on her face. He smelled of chocolate, cherry, and something else that was sweet, though undescribable. But a question from him pierced through her thoughts and the gathering fog.

"Who, Emily? Who?"

And she could only force one more word out of her lips before it all faded away.

"Slugworth."


	5. Chapter 5 An Identity Discovered

**Sorry for the delay in getting the next chapter out. Life has been really hectic with the holidays going in full swing. Anyway here is Chapter 5 and ****_PLEASE PLEASE_**** review. I grovel on my knees! Please review! I can see that quite a few of you have read my story, so please let me know what you think! I would really like to know how this story is working out in your opinion. Should I put a little more Johnny Depp in? I can see him lurking in the background ...I did make the oompa loompas more Johnny Depp style, because they are a little bit more realistic.**

Chapter 5 An Identity Discovered

Willy Wonka stared down at the closed eyes, a peculiar chill running through him. Slugworth? No, not again. He crawled backwards off the edge of the bed and backed away. Slugworth had almost ruined him, and-by the bits and pieces that he was able to piece together from this strange girl's story-Slugworth wanted to ruin him for good. But why did he want to use this girl as a shield from Wonka's anger? Was all this true? What if this girl was really working with Slugworth and had just faked all of this as a means of winning over the chocolatier's trust and snatch his secret recipes when he wasn't looking? What if she was making it all up for some other sinister reason? Willy shook his head. In his heart, he knew that Emily's crazed response to him was not a fake. He remembered many a nightmare that his oompa loompas had awakened him from. Willy Wonka knew what sheer terror was like. He rubbed his gloves together and frowned. Something wasn't adding up, and it bothered him. If only there was some way to get this girl to talk, he would know the whole story. As a sudden thought came to him, he turned, fingers poised to snap at an oompa loompa and call him to his bidding. He would try to win her. Willy Wonka would play the nice guy until he figured out what was really going on. He sat back down on the edge of the bed and snapped his fingers at an oompa loompa and it came forward and bowed. "Please fetch another pillow and blanket for Miss Emily," he said, idly twirling his cane. A thought struck him, and he added,"Oh, and bring me a bottle of Wonkavite. Why didn't I think about it before?"

The little man crossed his arms over his chest then ran to do Wonka's bidding. The chocolatier smiled down at the sleeping girl, his pale face brightening. This was a very interesting situation. As he gazed down at her, however, his smile faded, and he stared. This girl had a striking resemblance to Slugworth. The chin, the nose...Willy Wonka leaped up and ran toward the door. He nearly collided with the oompa loompa returning with his requested bedding. "Don't let her out of your sight!" Willy shouted, slamming the door behind him. He didn't stop running until he slammed into the Wonkavator. Quickly picking himself up, he stumbled inside and jabbed his latex finger at a button that read 'office'. As he paced around the moving machine Willy Wonka suddenly felt like he was going to collapse. The very thought that his enemy might be going to disrupt his life again...the elevator jerked to a halt, and he leaped from the machine, yanked open the office door, and closed it behind himself, and leaned against it. What was he to do? The girl was obviously traumatized by something. As he stood gazing down at the floor, he thought hard. The way that Emily had acted made him almost sure that maybe she wasn't out to get him after all. Maybe her story was all true. Her reaction certainly was all true. He shivered as he recalled her words- "I will not assist you in destroying Willy Wonka-" the chocolatier frowned. What were those other words..."No matter what you do to me." Taking a deep breath, Willy stepped away from the door, pulled open a file cabinet drawer, and began to sift through it. In just a few moments, he found the paper he was searching for. Slugworth's picture. It was almost an identical picture of the girl that lay resting in the medical complex. Slugworth's daughter? Willy threw on his topcoat and grabbed his cane. He was going to investigate. A quick Wonkavator ride brought him back to the side of the stricken girl. She had not moved since he had left and Nelly, the head oompah loompa, was seated beside her. Her face was very serious. Upon seeing that Willy Wonka had returned, she stood and spoke.

"Sir,the child."

Willy Wonka frowned and replied, "What seems to be the matter with her? Has she become worse?" Filled with panic at his own words the chocolatier came to the side of the bed in haste to place a gloved hand on the girl's forehead. The warmth beneath his fingers had not changed in his absence. She was still sleeping feverishly. He turned to Nelly, who wore a gray face.

"Nelly, please elaborate." Willy spoke softly, letting his hands slowly slide down the sides of Emily's face until they were resting lightly on her shoulders.

Nelly lowered her eyes and then spoke.

"I have searched for her identity and have found it."

Willy Wonka frowned for a moment then gulped. "What did you find out?"

The kindhearted Oompa Loompa bowed her head for a moment, then raised it slowly until she was gazing up at the chocolatier.

"She is Slugworth's granddaughter."

Unconciously, Willy Wonka's hands tightened on the girls shoulders, at the sound of Nelly's voice. There was a feling about the way that she said it that forebode of something sinister.

"What else did you find, Nelly," Willy asked, when she did not move her gaze from his face.

"This."

Willy Wonka looked down at the crumpled letter that Nelly took from the nightstand by the bed. Carefully, he reached for it with one gloved hand. The envelope was already open where the Oompa Loompa had read it. Slowly Willy reached inside and withdrew the paper within. Unfolding it with the solemnity of an undertaker, he began to read. At the first few words, he felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck, and an inexplicable chill begin to race down his spine.

"Dear Mr. Wonka,

He's going to kill me...


	6. Chapter 6 The Terrible Letter

**Please review! It only takes a moment! I can see that you loyal people out there are reading, so please pretty please hit that review button!**

Chapter 6 The Terrible Letter

Willy Wonka scanned the letter quickly, his vision suddenly hazy as he imagined the girl sleeping beside him carefully penning every heart wrenching word.

"Dear Mr. Wonka,

He is going to kill me. My grandfather. You know him as Mr. Slugworth. He has me here in this little room, with no hope of ever getting free. It is dark here, and there are rats beyond the walls. I can hear them at night when it gets cold and they get restless. He wants me to spy on you, but I won't do it. I love Wonka Chocolates and would never do anything to hurt you. But he has tried in every human and unhuman way possible to get me to agree, even as far as to get my stepfather involved. He is Mr. Farnsworth. Another cheat. So you see I am stuck between two losers in a prison of a place. Please if you ever find this know that there are people out there that care. And if any suspicion is cast upon me, know that it is false and I would rather die than betray you.

Slugworth has vowed to force me into agreeing with him tonight. I fear for my life so I am writing this to let you know that I love you Mr Wonka. Please watch out for Mr. Farnsworth and Slugworth. They are losers.

Love,

Emily"

Willy slowly folded up the letter, and stuffed it back into the envelope, keeping his misty blue eyes turned from the closely watching oompa loompa. He didn't know what to do. This girl hadn't really been treated gently, so it was understandable that she was afraid of him, since she really hadn't realized who he was. Sighing deeply, Willy took the bottle of Wonkavite from the nightstand and unscrewed the top. His main concern was to get Emily well again, and then shield her from the evil out there beyond the massive gates. Slugworth would not think to look for her at the factory. She would probably be safe here, if she wanted to stay. Willy looked down at the sleepng girl and felt a flutter in his chest. There was something very attracting about her, and every time he glanced at her he felt an overwhelming protective desire to hold her close and never let her go. Carefully Willy Wonka dipped his gloved finger into the bottle, and withdrew it coated in a violet shimmery gel. Handing the bottle to Nellie, who still gazed strangely at him, the chocolatier leaned over and very gently slipped his finger between Emily's teeth.

"What are you going to do?" Nelly asked, breaking the silence.

Willy looked over at her. "I am giving her Wonkavite to speed up the healing process. If I give it to her as the tablet or the elixir then she will choke on it. I just invented the gel last night. Stayed up nearly till morning working on it. Lucky thing too. Can you imagine-"

Nellie interrupted his nervous chatter with,"No, what are you going to do about Emily?"

Willy gently withdrew his finger and gently turned Emily's head to the side so she wouldn't strangle as the gel in her mouth melted slowly on her tongue. He then turned a determined face toward the waiting oompa loompa and said, "I am going to let her stay here if she wants to. You may go now, Nellie. I shall tend to Emily."

The oompa loompa bowed and headed for the door. At the threshold she turned and looked back. Willy sat where she had left him, holding the horrifying letter in one hand, and gently running his other hand up and down the side of Emily's pale neck.

Nellie rolled her eyes and exited the room. She did not understand Willy Wonka sometimes. Keeping the girl here would not solve their problems. Slugworth would know that the only logical place that the Wonka-loyal girl would go would be the chocolate factory. She frowned. Their only hope would be that maybe Slugworth would be afraid that Emily would have told Willy and he would be afraid to come close to the factory. The only problem would be that legaly Emily would have to go back to Farnsworth and it would take more than a letter to prove him unfit.

Willy gazed down at the closed eyes and gently brushed back her hair. It hurt him that this beautiful girl would go through pain for him. He wasn't sure why she cared so much about him. He certainly had never met her before. He sat there for a while, thinking hard. There had to be a way to make evrything work out.

Emily sat by the road, a long dirt road, covered in mud puddles. The air was misty and dark. A crow flew by cawing his disgust at the world. She looked around and shuddered. The shadows were leering at her and the chilly breeze tugged at her jacket. A sharp pain ran through her ankles and she began to cry. The crow flashed past again, brushing her cheeks as he passed with his wings. She jumped back and threw an arm up to protect her face, and felt a firm hand grab it. Thoughts that her stepfather or grandfather had followed her flashed through her mind and she tried to wrench away. The crow flapped by again, shrieked in her face and instantly turned into Slugworth. He stood leering down at her. She gazed up at her tormentor in fear. He smirked, and put one boot on top of her ankles. A searing pain shot though them, and Emily closed her eyes and screamed.

Willy Wonka raised his head with a start. He must have dozed off. A whimpering sound had awakened him, and he looked over at Emily. Beads of perspiration stood on her forehead and she was crying in her sleep. Furrows of concern creased his forehead, as he left the comfort of his armchair and returned to Emily's bedside. As he sat down beside her, he brushed his handkerchief across her face, wiping away the dampness. In response to that move, she brought her arm up as if to thwart an attacker. Willy grabbed it gently.

"No dear child, you will hurt yourself!" He nearly shouted, as she tried to wrench away. A few more whimpers escaped her lips, and she collapsed into a deep sleep. Willy let out the breath he had been holding and shook his head.

If he ever got a hold of Slugworth that evil fiend was going to regret it.

Slowly, Emily opened her eyes, and looked up at the ceiling above her. For a moment she could not remember where she was. She turned her head sideways, and her eyes lit upon the armchair where Willy had fallen asleep again. She watched him for a moment, smiling at the way his top hat had slipped sideways over his ear. She was a fan of Willy Wonka through and through. She had a collection of candy wrappers from the very beginning of Wonka candymaking career. It was her most prized posession, and Slugworth had it now. It was probably realistically worth quite a mint, but to her it was of indescribable value.

She raised her head a little, and called softly," Mr. Wonka?"

He nodded a little in his sleep and snored softly.

"Mr. Wonka!" She called a little louder, and this time Willy leaped to his feet, grabbing at his slipping tophat.

"Miss-oh, miss- You-you're awake. How wonderful! How perfectly-" He slowly sank down beside her, and slipped his hands under her shoulders, and cradled them there. "How perfectly delightful," he whispered, looking down into her eyes.

Emily looked up at him, unsure what to say. He was looking down at her with an expression of love and genuine caring, laced with tenderness, and sympathy. She gazed up into those blue eyes of kindness, and for a moment neither spoke. Finally Willy broke the silence.

"I read your letter."

Emily closed her eyes, a single tear escaping and running down to drip onto Willy's crisp white gloved hand.

"Forget about it all, dear one. They cannot hurt you here."


End file.
